Great Lakes Wire

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, alongside members of the Department of Attorney General, Branch County Prosecutor Zachary Stempien, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor and Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan President Jeffrey Getting, Special Assistant Attorney General Erin House with the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative in Kalamazoo County, and House Appropriations Chairwoman State Representative Angela Witwer, announced the launch of Operation Survivor Justice at a press conference today. The initiative is a partnership between the Michigan Department of Attorney General, local county prosecutors, and the U.S. Marshals Service aimed at locating, apprehending, and returning to Michigan fugitive offenders with outstanding sexual assault warrants. The operation is funded by a $1 million appropriation from the Legislature included in the department’s latest budget signed into law this summer.

“Operation Survivor Justice will make a difference,” said Nessel. “It will touch the lives of victims and those who never become one because we were able to take this decisive strike with our new partners in this effort to secure justice for as many sexual survivors as possible.”

Under Operation Survivor Justice, the U.S. Marshals Service will collaborate with the Department of Attorney General and locally elected prosecutors to track down and take into custody criminal defendants across the continental U.S., significantly reducing costs compared to private extradition services. These operations are funded by a $1 million appropriation from the Michigan Legislature specifically for apprehending and extraditing sex-assault fugitives.

"The unfortunate reality is extraditing defendants back to Michigan can be a costly endeavor that many local prosecutor’s offices simply do not have resources for,” said State Representative Angela Witwer. “That’s why we decided to help remove these barriers by increasing financial support from the State so survivors of sexual assault can begin to heal when perpetrators are finally brought to justice.”

The Department of Attorney General has already partnered this year with the Branch County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service to apprehend and prosecute defendants under Operation Survivor Justice's framework. The Attorney General is now encouraging other county prosecutors across Michigan to join the initiative. Participation does not require local prosecutors to relinquish control of their cases but enables them to negotiate directly with the U.S. Marshals Service to locate, apprehend, and extradite their eligible offenders.

“The Branch County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Attorney General’s Office and U.S. Marshals for their assistance and for launching Operation Survivor Justice,” said Branch County Prosecutor Zachary Stempien. “This operation has thus far provided for apprehending and prosecuting multiple alleged criminal sexual conduct cases. Without their assistance, these defendants may still be fugitives at large."

“I want to thank the Governor’s office, Legislature, Attorney General, and U.S. Marshals Service,” said Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting. “This project will truly make a difference on behalf of victims throughout Michigan."

Eligible cases for Operation Survivor Justice include more than 800 defendants currently out on cash bail believed to be outside Michigan. Charges eligible for extradition under this program are primarily physical contact-based sexual offenses such as Criminal Sexual Conduct in various degrees and Accosting a Minor for Immoral Purposes.

Operation Survivor Justice is currently operational only in Michigan but aims to set a precedent that could expand through similar agreements in other states.

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